In U.S. Pat. No. 4,707,291 there is disclosed a detergent composition comprising a mixture of an anionic and a nonionic detergent-active compound in combination with a lipase which shows a positive immunological cross-reaction with the antibody of the lipase produced by Pseudomonas fluorescens IAM 1057, specifically those produced by a microorganism of the species Pseudomonas fluorescens , P. gladioli or Chromobacter viscosum. While these organisms were known to have lipolytic activity at the time the application which matured into the 4,707,291 patent was filed patentability predicated on the stability of these enzymes in the detergent containing formulation.
In European published application 0 271 153 there is disclosed a composition comprising a nonionic detergent, a protease and a lipase which shows a positive immunological response to the antibody of the lipase produced by Chromobacter viscosum, var. lipolyticum NRRL-B 3673. Lipases derived from Pseudomonas species P. fluorescens, P. fragi, P. nitroreduscens var. lipolyticum, P. cepacia and P. gladioli are specifically disclosed.
The bacterial genus Pseudomonas is actually comprised of four sub-genera. P. cepacia and P. gladioli belong to Pseudomonas subgroup I whereas P. fragi and probably P. nitroreduscens belong to subgroup I.
Azegami et al report a new species of Pseudomonas, P. plantarii, in Int. Journal of Systematic Bacteriology, Apr. 1987, p. 144-152. This article indicates a positive response for lipase, using the Tween 80 hydrolysis method, for lipase from the species P. plantarii as well as that from P. gladioli. All other strains of P. plantarii are reported by Azegami to behave identically in the taxonomic tests described, suggesting that this is a very tight homologous species. In addition, the lipase in all 21 tested strains are reported to catalyze both Tween 80 hydrolysis and cottonseed oil hydrolysis. The strain used in these examples, i.e. ATCC 43733, is the Type strain, a designation that means it is the most indicative representative of the new species. While the gladioli and plantarii species of Pseudomonas are related, they have definite taxonomic differences, such as, for example, P. plantarii can (whereas P. gladioli cannot) utilize L. Rhamose for growth, P. plantarii cannot (whereas P. gladioli can) utilize trehalose, adonitol, .beta.-alanine, lactose, benzoate, levulinate for growth. P. plantarii cannot grow at 40.degree. C. whereas P. gladioli can. Furthermore P. plantarii has been reported to be pathogenic to rice seedlings whereas P. gladioli has not.